The availability of navigation software on mobile devices has resulted in a proliferation of use of mobile mapping applications by pedestrians to explore a city by walking. Conventional mobile mapping applications display maps geographically with varying levels of detail displayed on the mobile map depending on the zoom level of the map. Users need to zoom out of the map to find upcoming areas but need to zoom in to be able to see details. Zooming in and zooming out redraws the map displayed on the mobile mapping application with an appropriate level of detail for the selected zoom level. Such frequent zooming in and zooming out, especially in areas with poor signal coverage, is time consuming and distracting.
The proliferation of wearable mobile devices such as smart glasses (digital eyeglasses) and smartwatches has increased the need for mapping applications able to render on smaller display screens. Rendering the display of conventional mobile mapping applications on such small display screens is often troublesome. Drawing maps with accurate geographic scale on such small screen with features discernible to the user poses a problem. Such maps require the user to constantly zoom in and out to be able to gain enough context to be aware of upcoming roads and the details of their immediate vicinity. As such, existing mobile mapping applications may prove to be inefficient or incapable of providing the user with an efficient manner of displaying their immediate vicinity and upcoming paths on a small display screen.